John 10
The Shepherd
and His Flock
1"I
tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the
gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.
3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep
listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead
of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But
they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him
because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6Jesus
used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was
telling them.
7Therefore
Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate;
whoever enters through me will be saved.[a]
He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they
may have life, and have it to the full.
11"I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns
the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and
runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The
man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the
sheep.
14"I
am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just
as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for
the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this
sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and
there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The
reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up
again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of
my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it
up again. This command I received from my Father."
19At
these words the Jews were again divided. 20Many of
them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?"
21But
others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.
Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"
The Unbelief
of the Jews
22Then
came the Feast of Dedication[b]
at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was in the
temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24The Jews
gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If
you are the Christ,[c]
tell us plainly."
25Jesus
answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in
my Father's name speak for me, 26but you do not
believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep
listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I
give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch
them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them
to me, is greater than all[d];
no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30I
and the Father are one."
31Again
the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus
said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For
which of these do you stone me?"
33"We
are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for
blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."
34Jesus
answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are
gods'[e]?
35If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God
came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36what about
the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the
world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am
God's Son'? 37Do not believe me unless I do what my
Father does. 38But if I do it, even though you do not
believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that
the Father is in me, and I in the Father." 39Again
they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
40Then
Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been
baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed 41and many
people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous
sign, all that John said about this man was true." 42And
in that place many believed in Jesus.
Reflection
Who have been
the ‘good shepherds’ in your experience?
How has the
leadership model of Jesus helped you to discern the difference between
God- given authority and leadership seeking power and control?
What
experiences have helped you to face up to your darkness or weakness? How
has this in turn helped you to minister to others?
How do you give
the ‘treasure of your life’? how is this revealed and shared with others
in your life?
